Former England head coach Chris Silverwood has been appointed as Sri Lanka 's new coach, putting pen to paper on a two-year contract.
Silverwood was axed by England just two months ago following a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Australia in the Ashes. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have been without a permanent head coach since Mickey Arthur left to become Derbyshire's head of cricket in November.
"I am very excited to be on board with Sri Lanka and I cannot wait to get over to Colombo and get started," Silverwood said. "They have a talented and passionate group of players and I am really looking forward to meeting up with the players and coaching staff very soon."
Silverwood's appointment comes just over a month before Sri Lanka travel to Bangladesh for a two-match Test series. Sri Lanka's CEO Ashley Da Silva said: "We are delighted to appoint Chris as the new head coach of the national team.
"He is an extremely experienced coach and from our discussions with him in the recruitment process it is clear he has the required qualities we are looking for to take the team forward." Silverwood made six Test appearances for England and featured for both Yorkshire and Essex during his playing career.
He began coaching in Zimbabwe with Mashonaland Eagles, before returning to Essex in 2010 as their bowling coach. Silverwood was promoted to head coach ahead of the 2016 season and led Essex to promotion and a County Championship trophy.
England then appointed him as their new bowling coach in 2018, with Silverwood replacing Ottis Gibson. Following Trevor Bayliss' departure the following year, Silverwood was named as England's new head coach.
However, Silverwood was sacked earlier this year after a disappointing run of results which saw England go four Test series without a win, culminating in the Ashes debacle. Following his sacking, Silverwood said: "It's been an absolute honour to be England Head Coach, and I'm extremely proud to have worked alongside our players and staff.
"I want to thank them all for the hard work and commitment they have given during my time in the role and I wish them all the very best moving forward. The last two years have been very demanding but I have really enjoyed my time with the team and working with Rooty and Morgs, and I am very proud of this group considering the challenges.
"I leave with fond memories and I am now looking forward to spending some quality time at home with my family and embracing the next chapter."
